


cat's cradle

by windingwoods



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 19:31:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8222332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windingwoods/pseuds/windingwoods
Summary: “How does your magic work?” she asks. Leo flashes her a smirk.“Want to hear a song?”





	

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally just a simple Hajime Runs A Laudry au... i don't know how did it turn into this self indulgent mess...  
> good god forgive me. anyway!! i had lotsa fun writing it even tho it was super hard too! i can't write long stuff hah  
> leo's "it's youth!" is technically a vague Shounen Note reference, just in case somebody wanted to know! also, if you wanna listen to something while reading this, i listened a lot to Je Suis Pret by Brooke Fraser while i was writing, i wonder if it shows tbh  
> hope you enjoy!!!

“Tsukasa-chan.”

Arashi’s voice sounds kind of strained, the smile stretched on her lips not quite matching the nervous twitching of her eyebrows. “You know I _love_ Duchess, but this has to stop.”

As if to emphasize her statement the washing machine lets out one low, agonizing hiccup, cat fur and soap bubbles shooting out in every direction.

To hell with magical appliances, in all honesty.

Tsukasa tries her best to square up while at the same time still look the humble kouhai part and pointedly ignore the soap that’s just landed on Arashi’s hair; life’s being exceptionally hard for her right now.

“But she can’t help it!” she protests ( _protests_ — against someone she’s so indebted to, on top of it). Duchess purrs as she gently headbutts Tsukasa’s shin.

“She’s a longhair, and the weather’s getting warmer…”

Something in the corner of Arashi’s eyes looks softer when she speaks again. “I never said it was her fault, did I? It’s just that the fur on your clothes keeps clogging our washing machine, so we should do something about it.”

“Like what?” Tsukasa asks, wills her voice not to betray how morose she’s feeling right now.

“About that.” Ritsu’s voice makes her nearly jump, exasperation settling in as he, somehow, emerges from the wardrobe behind her back.

“You know about my favourite nap spot?”

 

.

 

Tsukasa is pretty positive people are not supposed to sleep at other people’s workplaces. Actually, she’s more than positive; she’s _certain_.

“Ritsu-senpai,” she says, “this is a laundry.”

The world must be intent on giving her hardship for some reason ( _retribution for all those sweets you ate the other day,_ hisses her conscience through gritted teeth) because Ritsu merely raises an eyebrow in her direction before walking straight into said laundry.

Tsukasa follows suit, ready to throw herself to the ground in one swift move and beg forgiveness for all the trouble Ritsu must have caused― only to watch in horror as her roommate and senpai latches himself around a very tiny creature. Person.

“Suu-chan,” Ritsu _coos_ , starting an orchestra of alarm bells inside of Tsukasa’s head with that alone, “come meet Haa-kun, come.”

She makes one single step ahead, then another, manners forgotten somewhere for her to be ashamed about it later.

“Ah, um, welcome!” The Haa-kun person staggers out of Ritsu’s assorted limbs and bows, then, “I’m Shino Hajime, nice to meet you.”

“Suou Tsukasa,” Tsukasa says, doesn’t miss how Hajime’s eyes go wide for a split second. He recovers faster and with more grace than most people though, she’s willing to give him that.

“Suu-chan’s familiar keeps shedding her fur all over the place so our washing machine keeps getting clogged,” Ritsu explains in a rare demonstration of good will, chin rested on top of Hajime’s head. “But that shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

Hajime shakes his head, causing Ritsu’s to shake as well.

“I can handle cat fur!” He proclaims, bright eyed and seemingly unperturbed by someone else’s head perched on top of his.

“Then― I’ll be back tomorrow morning, if that’s alright,” Tsukasa says after a moment of hesitation, and she could swear Duchess’s just purred in approval from the opposite end of their link.

 

.

 

Turns out Hajime really can handle cat fur.

Not only that, but Tsukasa could swear her clothes feel softer to the touch, the fabric smoother. They always smell like lavender detergent too, which is definitely a welcomed plus.

“So, uh,” she starts, too distracted by the sight of Ritsu sleeping curled up on what looks like a pile of clean sheets folded on top of one of the washing machines to show some eloquence. How very disgraceful, the both of them. “What kind of clients do you get?”

Hajime seems to ponder the question for a few seconds before shifting his attention from the robes on his lap to Tsukasa’s face.

“My services mostly cater to people like you, Suou-san,” he explains, “so it’s a bit unusual for your average human to stop by. Ah, but I guess there _are_ some exceptions.”

“Ecchan loves this place,” Ritsu pitches in from his _impromptu_ nest, and Tsukasa really wishes he would just come down and stop causing problems.

Hajime nods along his words like there’s nothing wrong though, which Tsukasa finds admirable and alarming at the same time.

“Eichi-san has always been curious about us after all.”

Tsukasa nearly chokes on nothing at that but before she can ask if it’s _the_ Eichi-san they’re talking about the front door bursts open with a loud screech.

The first thing she notices is the smell: there’s burnt and smoke and something that leans towards― Tsukasa doesn’t feel like investigating any further. Then a blur of what looks like tattered clothes and bloody limbs sprints past her at a speed that makes her wonder whether the blood might or not belong to someone else entirely (or something, most likely), stopping just short of toppling over a slightly rattled Hajime.

“Tsukinaga-san!” Hajime squeaks at the same time as Ritsu mumbles something under his breath and the stranger yells, “are my robes ready!”

Tsukasa is far too appalled at the moment to even begin to wrinkle her nose.

“Ah!” the stranger goes on without waiting for an answer, the robes that were on Hajime’s lap now suddenly in their hands. “Just as new!”

“It’s Haa-kun’s magic we’re talking about,” Ritsu mumbles, and there’s a glint in his eyes as he looks at the stranger’s face that makes Tsukasa wonder. She doesn’t know _what_ yet, but she does wonder.

“Right, right. You’re a lifesaver as always, Shino.”

That seems to bring Hajime back to his senses, at least enough for his ears to go bright pink as he schools his lips into a salesman smile.

 _Cute_ , Tsukasa thinks, but the moment doesn’t last.

“You.” The stranger (now that she thinks about it, the name Tsukinaga might actually ring a bell somewhere in her mind) is pointing a finger at her, a fresh cut running from the tip of it to where the skin meets the palm. It’s not the only cut Tsukasa can spot, even.

“Who _are_ you?”

She doesn’t know why, but she’d rather not answer the question.

 

.

 

Arashi nearly spits her tea (or what _might_ be tea, it’s hard to tell with her sometimes) all over the kitchen table, head turning to Ritsu so fast Tsukasa feels like she might get whiplash from just watching.

“You met our _king_?” she asks, “They’re back?”

“About that―” There’s nervousness in the way Ritsu can’t quite look at either of them, uncertainty in the wavy line of his lips. It’s weird, seeing him look like that, although Tsukasa can remember catching glimpses of it back when she had just arrived and the air used to hang heavy all over their town.

“They’ve been back since last week,” he says in the end, voice a scrap of his usual tone.

“And you didn’t tell me _because_?”

Now it’s Arashi who looks nervous, taut like a violin string.

“They asked me not to, you know. They needed some time and you… You would’ve rushed straight to them.”

“‘course I’d have rushed!”

The words get drowned out by the clatter of Arashi’s chair tumbling down as she jolts up, hands pale, knotted tight.

 _This is the first time I’ve heard her raise her voice_ , Tsukasa thinks, a twitchy mess of discomfort and curiosity and daze clawing at the inside of her stomach.

“Of course I’d have rushed,” Arashi repeats, quieter, barely a murmur. “They’re my― they’re our king.”

Tsukasa can only watch as she walks out of the room, out of the house; she can only watch and pretend she doesn’t notice how rattled Ritsu looks for a second, right before he swallows back all the things she doesn’t know about.

“Ritsu-senpai.” She doesn’t know whether or not he’s willing to answer her right now, or even willing to listen at all, but she’s been part of their home for years by now and she can’t help but _want_ to know. “Ritsu-senpai, may I ask what’s going on?”

The look he gives her is tired, but his eyes have gotten softer and Tsukasa can see the bared fondness spread out for her to know that it’s going to be okay, because they’re family. The both of them and Arashi and the ghost of a king who smelled like burnt.

 

.

 

“Oooh.”

Leo whistles quietly next to her and Tsukasa has to wonder how did they even manage, considering how their face seems to be pressed flush against the window.

“Looks like the weather’s started to calm down a bit,” they muse, the implicit question behind their word not lost on Tsukasa.

“Yes,” she answers, “it appears Narukami-senpai might be feeling better now.”

She hopes her not so subtle accusation won’t be lost on Leo either, although she doesn’t know whether or not she’ll be lucky enough to be humored despite being, well― an outsider. The word stings on the tip of her tongue and she chews it down, buried beneath the time she’s spent with Arashi and Ritsu.

From the way Leo’s shoulders tense up for a split second she guesses that yes, her message has indeed been received. Good.

“So you’ve been living with those two for a couple of years, eh?” They turn to Tsukasa and squint a bit, as if wanting to get a better look. Of what exactly, she doesn’t have the faintest idea.

“That’s good!” they almost shout in the end, both hands slamming on their knees. “Those guys are soooo hopeless without me, I’m glad you’ve kept them company!”

She’s not sure how to feel about their word choice, something telling her that she should be upset, that she’s not some kind of _pet_ , but Leo doesn’t really sound like they’re trying to belittle her. They’re not taking her all that seriously either, but she’s going to fix that soon.

(Also, it wouldn’t be polite to cause a scene when they’re shamelessly taking advantage of Hajime’s hospitality because Tsukasa still doesn’t know where else to find Leo outside of their shared laundry of choice.)

She can feel the telltale prickling of magic on her fingertips and Duchess stirring on her lap as she asks, “why did you leave them?”

Leo’s looking out of the window again, the green in their eyes turning dull like the grey mudding the sky.

“You know, I’m glad Naru still kicks up a storm whenever she’s sulking,” they say with the kind of distant, out of tune voice people use when they’re dodging a question and silence stretches between the two of them like something sticky, sluggish.

It fills up Tsukasa’s throat and lungs, takes up every inch of space left for her to get the words out of her mouth.

She can only wonder if this is how Leo wants to play it, if it’s how _she_ wants to play it, until Leo speaks again.

“We lost.” It’s almost as inconsistent as the rain pattering outside but Tsukasa wills herself into patience, oaks and redwoods growing inside of her.

“ _I_ lost and so I left. That’s all there is to it.”

Lighting paints their faces a blueish white (okay, maybe Arashi might still be a little upset, who could blame her) and for a split second Tsukasa can smell burnt again; it makes her eyes sting and she can’t help but bury as much of her face as she can into the folds of her cape.

The scent of lavender welcomes her at the same time as Leo exclaims, “the sound of the rain! It’s resonating within my very soul!”

Tsukasa’s brain doesn’t even make it to process the change of pace before Leo’s whipped out what looks like a permanent marker and kneeled down to scribble something on the floor―

A yowling Duchess nearly flies off her lap the moment all the seeds she was carrying in her pockets explode at the same time.

 

.

 

“They’re a scoundrel!” Tsukasa nearly squeaks (okay, maybe she _is_ squeaking, just a little) for the fifth time since she’s started this conversation.

The sun is shining bright outside and the air is clear enough for everything to seem more colorful, the sky a vibrant blue. Arashi’s eyes bear nothing but kindness.

“I think you might have gotten that across already, Tsukasa-chan,” she says. “Now stay still for a moment, will you?”

Swallowing down all her indignation, Tsukasa complies; she knows from experience it’s better to always listen to Arashi when it comes to makeup. The first time Tsukasa had let her do it was no different, the disbelief that followed enough to knock the breath out of her with a rather undignified _oh_.

Arashi’s touch is gentle on her skin as she asks if Tsukasa’s remembered to take her blockers, snapping her back to attention.

“I’m not _that_ upset that I’d forget about it,” she grumbles, opening her eyes after she’s sure Arashi’s done there. “Did _you_ take yours?”

“I made sure to remind her.” Ritsu’s voice comes muffled from where he’s smashed his face on Arashi’s shoulder but Tsukasa doesn’t miss the hint of guilt that’s still lingering around him. She doesn’t know when or how did he apologize but she’s glad things seem to be settling back into place now.

(She found them sleeping together on the couch after coming back from the laundry, huddled together like children, and had to take a picture; for posterity that is.)

“And yes,” Ritsu continues, a yawn eating up his words, “that king’s a total scoundrel.”

 

.

 

Tsukasa’s life goes on at a relatively smooth pace for a week or two, excluding her occasional squabbles with her succulents and that one orchid that just won’t bloom, no matter how much care and magic Tsukasa pours into it.

But none of that can compare with the shock of finding Leo sitting on the very chair she sits on every day, at the very table in her very own kitchen. Drinking something from her very own favorite mug.

“This,” she says, voice monotone, “is not real.”

Arashi turns from where she was rummaging through the cupboard with a muffled _oh dear_ , but before Tsukasa can even think of asking for an explanation Leo whips their head towards her, swinging her mug around as they attempt what looks like some kind of overly cheerful way of greeting her.

“Ah, it’s the newbie!” Leo sounds way too chipper to her ears and for a brief seconds she wonders just what in the world might Arashi have put in their drink.

“What are you doing here? Wait, don’t tell me―”

“It’s Suou Tsukasa,” she cuts in anyway, opting to drop her bag to the ground now that she’s still not frustrated enough to make its contents blow up. “And I live here.”

 _Unlike you_ , goes a petulant voice in the back of her head.

There’s a bruise (still purple, it probably hurts quite a bit) under Leo’s left eye and now that Tsukasa’s gotten closer she can smell the lingering healing magic in the air around them. She looks at Arashi, who shrugs her shoulders in return.

“They needed some patching up,” she offers, to which Leo starts nodding with way too much emphasis for someone who’s just been treated with Arashi’s magic.

“Yeah, well, today’s job got a bit rowdy,” they say as if they were talking about the weather forecast and not their just-narrowly-escaped-certain-death appearance, which Tsukasa finds rather infuriating.

Ritsu told her Leo is a tamer, hence their visits at Hajime’s laundry when whatever beast or dragon or demon they’re assigned doesn’t take the whole thing very peacefully and ends up reducing their clothes to a tattered mess.

It sounds cool though, cool and adventurous and out of reach, just like the past Ritsu and Arashi are so reluctant to talk about.

Tsukasa’s getting tired of not knowing.

“How does your magic work?” she asks. Leo flashes her a smirk.

“Want to hear a song?”

 

.

 

Leo’s not a good singer. They’re not a good singer and their voice is nothing special, not really, but there’s _something_ about the way they weave their music that feels almost haunting, alive.

Tsukasa can see how even the most aggressive creatures would succumb to it, wolves turned lambs by nothing but a melody.

Her newfound admiration is not enough to justify Leo’s presence in her room though, especially given the look they’re giving her. It’s quite aggravating, actually, knowing that the person in front of her is so talented yet so― _so_.

She swallows back the need to usher them out (she’s still a Suou, no matter how trying the circumstances) and instead crouches down in front of her orchid, the one that’s still not showing any intention of blooming.

Leo ends up sprawled on the floor next to her before she can even muster up enough indignations to tell them to at least sit properly when in someone else’s house. Room.

_Headache._

“Naru told me this one’s giving you some trouble,” Leo says and Tsukasa cringes, which makes Leo laugh.

“Come on, it’s okay! It’s youth!”

“You’re barely…” Tsukasa beings, stops after realizing that no, she has no idea of how old Leo might be.

“Two years older,” they finish for her. There’s a quietness in their voice that doesn’t quite match their smile but it’s gone the very next moment, replaced by a flash of teeth that makes Tsukasa square up out of reflex.

Then Leo starts to sing and their voice is still rough but it’s the only sound she can hear; their hair tickles her fingers as Leo shifts to get closer and all Tsukasa can do is to watch in awe as her orchid slowly blooms in front of her.

There are words she wants to say, needs to say, but they stay lodged in her throat and when Leo laughs again, bright and proud, she just stares down at them.

 

.

 

Undoubtedly, there’s a dragon in front of her.

No, not dragon― _wyvern,_ the still rational part of her mind corrects her, the not so rational anymore part too busy sounding a symphony of alarm sirens as the huge, fire-breathing thing comes close enough to her face for Tsukasa to smell sulphur.

This is how she’s going to die, meagre appetizer for one big reptile.

She clutches her broom to her chest and screws her eyes shut, contemplating the idea of playing dead altogether, when someone grabs her by the shoulder.

“Little John!” Leo’s voice is way too sudden, way too loud. “Bad wyvern! Newbie’s not food!”

For a brief, terrifying second Tsukasa can see sparks flashing in between the wyvern’s fangs, only to die out the very next moment as Little John (she’s not going to comment on that, not a chance) flops down on the ground with a contented cry.

Tsukasa breathes a sigh of relief.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” says Leo, heartfelt enough for her to consider letting them off the hook. “She’s a good egg, really! She’s just a bit nervous because we had to leave her hatchlings at home, you see.”

Little John screeches again at that and Tsukasa finds herself taking a step backwards, survival instinct quickly overriding every inch of pride left in her.

“Um.” She turns to Leo, then back to the wyvern. “Congratulations on your… hatchlings?”

The word doesn’t sound quite real to her own ears and she can’t help but shudder at the idea of multiple, tiny (well, that’s up for debate) Little Johns. Armed with fire.

She really hopes wyverns can’t feel people’s thoughts.

“Oh, she looks pleased!” Leo exclaims, probably the best thing Tsukasa’s ever heard them say. Then, “say, want to see them?”

Now that’s the _worst_ thing she’s ever heard them say.

“I really don’t think that’s―” she begins, but Leo’s already dragging her by the hand while blabbering about things Tsukasa’s too distressed to process at the moment, something about their house being nearby and their sister not being home. (“You’d love her, it’s a real pity!”)

By the time she’s regained some scrap of self control Leo’s already stopped in front of what’s probably their house and is already fumbling with the keys, free hand still wrapped around Tsukasa’s.

“I do not approve of any of this,” Tsukasa says, just because she can and because she’s earned the right to complain for at least her whole lifetime, make it two if the fire gremlins decide to test their roasting skills on her persona.

She’s about to voice this to Leo when she sees _them:_ five miniature wyverns no bigger than a puppy, with impossibly big, round eyes and impossibly scrawny wings and _impossibly_ cute muzzles.

Well.

“Oh my goodness,” she whispers, bites down on her lips because she knows she might start to downright coo otherwise.

“Cute, aren’t they?” Leo’s snickering, a gentle look in their eyes she only ever sees when they’re looking at Arashi and Ritsu. “Ah, Anzu! Good work, good work! Thanks for watching over them.”

Tsukasa has to fight off the instinct to bow down and apologize at the top of her lungs for not noticing the girl earlier, for once grateful to Leo when they take upon themself the honor of introducing her.

Anzu bows her head in her direction, a polite smile matching the placid look in her eyes, and Tsukasa follows suit; there’s something soothing about the girl that lingers in the room even after she bids them a hurried goodbye.

She looks like the busy bee type, which Tsukasa can’t say she dislikes.

“Now then,” Leo begins, “who’s hungry?”

All five hatchlings jolt up at the same time and Tsukasa finds herself watching with what’s most likely a dumbstruck look on her face as Leo gets swarmed and tackled to the ground in a matter of seconds.

She’s pretty sure she can live with this.

 

.

 

“Would it be too much to ask for you to stay _still_?”

She doesn’t know just what possessed her earlier when she accepted to treat Leo’s most recent scratches, something about _good practice_ and Arashi being busy with her job, but there she is, kneeling in front of a fidgety oversized child.

“Not my fault it stings so bad!” Leo retorts. “Naru is muuuch gentler when she does it!”

It takes every inch of Tsukasa’s good will not to hex them on the spot, gritted teeth and hands loaded with magic, _her_ magic, which she is using to help Leo.

Ungrateful, fidgety oversized child.

She’s going to have to feed Duchess some high class treats later, she can feel her getting grumpier too.

“It’s just a scraped knee, I could fix this in a heartbeat if only _someone_ started cooperating.”

Leo grumbles something (she’s not sure she wants to hear that) but they do try to calm down and Tsukasa can’t help but smile when their frown slowly eases out under her touch.

When she’s done she brings some bandages to her lips, mouthing a protective spell Ritsu taught her against the fabric, and tries her best to ignore the way Leo’s staring at her as she wraps them around their knee.

“Suou,” they say, then stop, as if trying to get a good grasp of her name on their tongue (it feels new, probably to the both of them). “Thanks. For, uh, the magic.”

She snorts a bit at that, and Leo’s smile is suddenly back too.

“Anytime, Leo-san.”

 

.

 

“My plants always look the happiest when you sing for them,” Tsukasa muses, sounding just as morose as she’s feeling.

Leo barks out a laugh which definitely doesn’t make her feel lightheaded, not even for a second.

“What was that, a compliment?”

 _Not really_ , she would say, frantic and hasty and still clawing at the idea of Leo being nothing but a troublesome stranger, but she’s a Suou and she’s still got her dignity. So she nods, fingers curling around the sachet hidden in her pocket.

“How is your knee?” she asks, even though it’s a bit of a redundant question on her part. She knows what her magic can and cannot do.

Leo makes a show of sticking their leg out and flexing it, nearly kicking Tsukasa in the face in the process. “Complete recovery, if I do say myself!”

They fall into a comfortable silence after that, something she didn’t think could ever be possible with Leo around up until a while ago, the afternoon light casting green shadows all over them. Tsukasa’s hands reach for the sachet again; she takes a deep breath.

“For you,” she mumbles, tries to convince herself her hands are perfectly steady as she fishes the sachet out of her pocket.

“It’s a lucky charm,” she adds when Leo just stares down at it, “for your job. I asked Hajime-kun to teach me how to make one.”

Leo’s fingers brush against her own when they reach out to take the sachet from her and for once they feel smooth, no cuts or band-aids, no soot under the fingernails. It makes Tsukasa feel content, like there’s a dizzying warmth spreading through her chest.

Then Leo smiles, bright and wide and suddenly in her space, and her heartbeat knots itself into a funny mess upon the dawning realization that she’s so, so in deep.

“Thank― oh, your pulse’s all weird now! You okay?”

She would point out how the glint in Leo’s eyes doesn’t quite match their words if not for the fact that she feels kind of weak in the knees (more like everywhere, to be fair) and has no paper around to stop any possible outburst of inspiration her question might spark. So she stays still as Leo leans over, forehead resting on her shoulder and a hand on her chest.

It’s not that bad, actually.

“So _soothing_ ,” she hears them singsong under their breath. “Your pulse’s the best, a true hymn to humanity.”

Tsukasa quirks a brow. “What was that, a compliment?”

That makes Leo bounce back up, loud and laughing all over again, but there’s softness in the way they look at her, like she’s just knocked them off their feet in the best possible way. She hopes they know it’s a mutual thing.

“Really now,” she half grumbles, but it all loses credibility as soon as Leo’s hands come resting on her cheeks and her lips split into a crooked smile under the touch; it’s contagious and reassuring, everything they have together.

“Wanna come play with the hatchlings tomorrow?” Leo asks, and if it sounds a little breathy neither of them comments on it. (It does send Tsukasa’s heart up her throat though.)

She nods, leaning into Leo’s touch, her own hands curling against the small of Leo’s back. It’s going to be fun.

 


End file.
